Foods Rich in Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamine, is an important vitamin that your body simply cannot do without. There are so many things that Vitamin B12 does for your body, and the list below will give you an idea of just how important it is:

Promotes Healthy Metabolism

Vitamin B12 is needed for the metabolism of both fats and carbohydrates. Without Vitamin B12, your body cannot turn carbs and fats into energy. Without being able to produce energy, your body's functions will decline, and there will be a drastic increase in your fatigue and lethargy. When it comes to weight loss, lethargy is your worst enemy!

Boost Nervous System Health

Did you know that Vitamin B12 plays a central role in the health of your central nervous system? The vitamin helps to regulate the nervous system, reducing your depression and stress and controlling anxiety. Vitamin B12 helps your body to produce more serotonin, the "feel-good" chemical that prevents depression and boosts your mood.

Improve Brain Function

Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin for the health of your brain, as it can prevent brain shrinkage and boost the function of your brain. Vitamin B12 deficiencies are common among the elderly and those suffering from Alzheimer's, so they need to make an extra effort to consume more Vitamin B12-rich foods (see the list below). Studies have found that taking Vitamin B12 during the early onset of the symptoms of mental disease, the symptoms can actually disappear or improve.

Enhance Sleep

Melatonin is the chemical that regulates your body clock, telling you when it's time to sleep and when it's time to wake up. Vitamin B12 is needed for the healthy production of melatonin, and you'll find that getting more of this vitamin is the key to increasing your body's natural level of this hormone. The better you sleep, the less fatigued you will be when it comes time to hit the gym!

Fight Asthma

Asthma can pose a serious threat to EVERYONE, not just those trying to get in shape. Asthma attacks can be very debilitating, and they can stop you from doing anything for days at a time. Thankfully, Vitamin B12 has been proven to combat asthma attacks, particularly among children. Regular supplementation of Vitamin B12--or just eating a lot more Vitamin B12 foods--can help to reduce shortness of breath and fight off asthma.

Prevent HIV Replication

Did you know that most AIDS patients tend to have very low levels of Vitamin B12? Studies have discovered that taking Vitamin B12 is one of the best ways to prevent the HIV virus from replicating, meaning the vitamin could stop it from spreading throughout the body and decimating the immune system.

Improve Overall Health

Vitamin B12 can do so much more, including:

Maintain a healthy digestive system

Fight cholesterol, thereby reducing your risk of heart disease

Protect against hypertension and strokes

Boost the health of your skin, hair, and nails

Aid in cellular reproduction

Speed up cell turnover rate

Protect against a wide array of cancers, including prostate, colon, lung, and breast cancer

Wow! Who knew that Vitamin B12 was such a vital nutrient?

Here are some of the foods that are rich in Vitamin B12:

Vitamin B12 Rich Food List

Micrograms

Portion (grams)

Liver

30

100

Sardines

28

100

Kidneys

15

100

Rabbit

12

100

Liver Sausage

8

100

Liver Pate

7.2

100

High-Fat Fish

5

100

Eggs

5

100

Mussels

4.5

100

Corned Beef

2

100

Fortified Breakfast Cereal

1.7

100

Lamb and Turkey

1.5

100

Burgers

1

100

Hard cheese

1

100

Note: Pregnant women should take care to consume more of these Vitamin B12-rich foods, as it is necessary to pass the vitamins on to the child through their milk. Vegans and vegetarians also tend to lack in Vitamin B12 thanks to their avoidance of animal products. Supplementing their diet with Vitamin B12 is the best way to ensure that vegetarians and vegans can get enough of this important nutrient.

Don't forget that if you've vegan or vegetarian, then you should probably take a B12 supplements. Also, many elderly people are able to properly absorb Vitamin B12 from food, so they should also consider supplementing. But in their case they would need B12 injections or sublingual B12, because they probably won't be able to absorb B12 from tablet form.

Raza - Vitamin B12 is hard to find in any fruits or vegetables. There maybe a small amount of B12 on the surface of fruits due the bacteria (good) in the soil. As for vegetables, certain types of seaweed have B12 but vegetables for the most part do not contain B12.

The best sources for Vitamin B12 are clams, mussels, milk, eggs, cheese, soy beans (tofu), and many animal derived products.

Be aware that if you have a vitamin B deficiency, then you will also end up with a calcium deficiency too. Nutrients are best from very fresh or just picked foods or any foods that have had the absolute minimum amount of precessing.
Every time you eat something, think about how long ago it was actually harvested, the longer the time, the less the nutrients.
I believe in teaching people how to have control over thier own health in the simplest and easiest and most cost free ways possible and to cure the cause of illness and disease, not just hide or cover up the symptoms.

I can't get a straight answer from my doctor about my vitamin deficiencies. Two years ago I was severely deficient from vitamin b 12, folic acid, vitamin a and vitamin d. I required b 12 shots for 5 months and heavy oral doses of the others for a year. Severe leg and arm cramps over the past few months took me back to my doctor last week. My tests came back again in the basement levels with b 12, folic acid...but this time with vitamin d. I'm not a vegan, or vegetarian. I probably don't eat as much meat as I should (the most I eat is one serving a day of poultry, or beef). I drink milk several times a week along with snacking on sharp cheddar. I stopped eating more than 1 egg a week and cut out butter as my cholesterol was getting high. Especially my triglyceride level@195. I drink V8, Ocean Spray or Orange juice daily (at least 12 oz.). I prefer fresh salads w/meat over fresh fruits. I admit to being inconsistent with breakfast cereals and the use of bread on a daily basis. I avoid all pasta. I don't take a daily multi-vitamin (I will now). I only drink soda, or alcohol once every couple of months when I go out to dine. I avoid sweets. I'm about to turn 48. I do have an "idiopathic" liver condition that specialists haven't been able to diagnose for 12 years now. My liver functions will spontaneously reach as high as 400 to 1800 and stay there for a few days to a few weeks. Biopsy and other tests resulted in nothing other than ruling out. Could my liver be the culprit?